Scottish Water apologise for "lack of consultation" during selection process for treatment plant

A Shawhead man has vowed to “fight on” after Scottish Water built a new treatment plant just yards from his back door.

Truck driver John Powell was not consulted before permission was granted for the £10 million Killylour facility less than a mile outside the village.

He also has concerns with how the site was chosen – believing it was one of the worst options according to a 2007 study.

And
he now plans to take his case to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
after “exhausting” the complaints procedure at Scottish Water.

Mr
Powell said: “If I had the money I’d get a judicial review. We’ve exhausted the complaints procedure and they have admitted we haven’t been properly consulted. If they had consulted properly then I wouldn’t have bought this house.

“I now have to make the complaint to the ombudsman. I want people to know what they are doing. It’s just not right.”

Mr Powell has contacted MSP Alex Fergusson and MP Russell Brown on the issue and is due to meet both again in the coming weeks.

He
moved into the property in 2009 – two years before he first found out about plans for the facility but two years after the original site survey.

Mr Powell, who has received an ex-gratia payment of £2,500 for general inconvenience during
construction, is seeking compensation for potential loss of his home’s value.

Scottish Water has admitted to a “lack of consultation” with Mr Powell at the site selection stage.

In
a letter, service review manager Roy Davidson said: “I would like to take this opportunity to offer you my sincere apology for the inconvenience and upset that this caused.”

Mr
Davidson advised that Mr Powell may be able to make a compensation claim for “physical factors, such as noise, smell and vibration” after the facility opens but not for general loss of value to his home.